Diamond Eyes
by Jaden Silver
Summary: An expectation, a necessity, a fantasy, and a promise. These are the things that lead the members of team DMND to attend the prestigious monster fighting academy, Beacon. Together they'll learn a few things about life, friendship, and what it really means to be a hunter.
1. Chapter 1

**Why, Jaden? Why do you do this to yourself? You already have a story to work on. Why are you making this?**

**So, yeah, I started writing this months ago. I didn't plan to ever let it see the light of day. It was just fun to make up characters for RWBY while waiting for the new episodes. But I really like how the characters are turning out and I figured, 'why not?'.**

**It's an OC team (soooo original, right?). Team DMND (diamond). Not sure where I'm gonna go with it plot wise. Right now I just have random character introduction and misadventures at the school (a lot like volume one of RWBY). I'll probably try to incorporate the show's plot once more of that is revealed. This will probably not update very frequently, since I'll be dedicating most of my time to another story (Chemical Imbalance), but that frequency doesn't mean the quality will be any less. I won't post anything unless I think it's good, and I do think this is good.**

**Okay, well, enough of the freakishly long author's note. Let's get to the story.**

* * *

Daniel Aero stared at the metal box in her hands. She knew she shouldn't be here. She was fully aware of the fact that if it weren't for the wonderful gift from her brother, she would have never made it into Beacon. She didn't even want to be here. Dani had never desired to be a huntress; to fight monsters. That was her brother's dream. But of course, her brother couldn't be a huntsman anymore, and she had a promise to keep to their father.

Daniel never could say no to her brother. Darius had been upset when they said he couldn't be a huntsman, but he hadn't let the news stop him from following his dream. If he couldn't fight the monsters himself, he would create weapons to do it for him. That's where the box, which Daniel had taken to calling BB, came from. It was an entirely new kind of weapon, unlike anything that had ever existed in Remnant before.

For reasons beyond her comprehension, Darius had programmed it to work for Daniel. He knew she was an average fighter at best. Monster hunting had never been something she'd wanted to do. But he needed someone to show off what his weapon was capable of. So, Daniel had agreed to enter a competition. This competition was designed to allow students who couldn't afford to go to fighting school to have a chance to enter Beacon Academy. The winner would receive free scholarship and admittance. Daniel had never expected to win. Darius hadn't even thought she could do it. They'd both figured she'd last a few rounds, enough to properly advertise BB, and then get beat by someone who actually cared. But no one could keep up with the ever-changing weapon combinations the box could make. By the end of the twelve round competition, Daniel had her ticket to Beacon.

She still wasn't sure why she'd agreed to go. She supposed she could have turned it down, even though it was a huge honor, and allowed whoever took second place to take the prize. But Darius had been so proud, both of her and BB. Daniel couldn't bear to disappoint him. He'd already seen enough disappointment.

So now, here she was, on a ship heading toward Beacon Academy.

Daniel looked around at the people on the airship with her. Most looked like what you'd expect to see going to a fighting school; either big, tough, and strong, or surrounded by an air of mystery that hinted at a powerful aura and talent for dust. She then pictured herself in her mind. Short, skinny in an unattractive way, and the only mysterious thing about her was how her hair managed to go so many different directions. She sighed, walking toward one of the airship's big windows. This was beginning to feel like a mistake.

There was another girl looking out of the window Daniel was walking toward. She had a sort of proper air about her, like she'd had etiquette lessons drilled into her head from an early age. _I guess I'm not the only one here who doesn't look the part_, Daniel thought. Then, she noticed the girl's ears. Or, rather, her second set of ears, long and velvety rabbit ears growing from the top of her head. Daniel realized with dull shock that this girl was a faunas. She guessed she shouldn't be surprised. It had been big news a few years ago when Beacon had announced that they'd be allowing faunas students to enroll. She'd just never met one before. _Well, no time like the present_, she thought, quoting her mother as she walked toward the girl.

"Hi" Daniel said, stopping a few feet away and holding out her hand. "I'm Dani."

The girl looked startled for a moment, as though she hadn't expected anyone to speak to her. "I'm Velvet" she nearly whispered, shaking Daniel's hand nervously.

Daniel turned to look out the window. Now that she'd introduced herself, she felt obligated to start some sort of conversation, but nothing came to mind. "So," she said eventually, "have you ever been on an airship before?"

"Yes" Velvet said, staring out the window as well. "Many times, actually. My father travels a lot for his work, and he would often take me with him."

"The only other time I've been in one was when I was a baby, so I don't really remember it" Dani admitted. She smiled, looking down at a lake as they flew over. "I don't think I could ever get used to the view" she said wistfully.

"I certainly never have" Velvet sighed.

Both girls sat in silence for a while, watching small towns and rolling hills pass underneath them. Eventually, Velvet tentatively spoke up again. "So, it's your first year at Beacon as well?"

"Yep" Daniel said.

"Are you excited?"

Daniel shook her head, half sighing, half laughing. "Not so much excited as nervous. I'm not cut out for this."

"I'm sure that's not true" Velvet said. "If you've made it this far then you must have what it takes."

Dani shook her head, gesturing to the box she had clumsily strapped to her hip. "BB has what it takes. I just happen to be here."

Before Velvet had a chance to respond, a strong, mean looking boy stepped up behind her, flanked by three other equally unpleasant looking boys. "Well, would you look at this?" He said. "I didn't realize they were letting us bring pets this year." Velvet blushed as the boy and his friends laughed.

Daniel felt a familiar anger stirring in her chest. She'd seen this kind of person before. They were the same type who would have thought it was funny to pick on her brother. They were the only reason she'd ever bothered learning to fight in school.

"Shouldn't you be in a crate with the rest of the luggage?" The boy asked, eliciting more laughter from his friends.

"Hey!" Dani said, stepping closer to Velvet's side and turning to face him. "What the hell is your problem?"

"There's no problem" he said evenly. "I'm just trying to make sure all the animals stay where they belong."

Daniel glared up into his face. "How about you shut your mouth on the racist crap before I shut it for you?"

From beside her, Velvet started to whisper a protest, but was cut off by the boy.

"What did you just say?" He asked, hands bunching into fists.

Dani's hand moved to hover over the box on her belt. "You heard me."

"Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" The boy continued before she had a chance to respond, which annoyed Dani because she'd had a nice insult prepared to answer the hypothetical question with. "I'm Cardon Winchester."

"Yeah? Well, I'm Daniel Aero. Nice to meet you" Dani said sarcastically. "Now shut it."

Cardon took a step toward Dani. Immediately, she slapped her hand over the box, and it began to unfold and spread over her skin. Within seconds, it had formed silver colored armor over her chest and arms.

Cardon stared at the armor, startled. An announcement came over the airship's speakers, letting all passengers know that they would be landing in moments. Cardon smirked and began backing away. "I guess we'll have to finish this later, then, freaks." He and his friends laughed as they walked away.

Daniel watched them leave for a moment, then turned back to Velvet. "You shouldn't have done that" Velvet said, her voice slightly reprimanding.

"It's no big deal" Dani said dismissively.

"My father always said not to act out violently when faced with people like that" Velvet explained. "Besides" she added more quietly, "I'm used to it."

"He was being a jerk" Dani said bluntly. "And I don't like it when people mess with my friends."

Velvet turned her face away, trying to hide a small smile. Even though she didn't think it was right to act like that, she liked the idea of having a friend who was willing to stand up for her.

"Come on" Dani said, jerking her head toward the open doors of the ship. Nearly everyone else had already left. "We'll be late for the assembly." Velvet nodded and followed her.

As they exited the ship, Velvet kept sneaking glances at Dani's armor. "What is that?" she finally asked.

"What?" Dani glanced down at the metal plates still spread seamlessly over her upper torso. "Oh, this!" she exclaimed. Dani focused on the armor, her aura glowing slightly for a moment, before it folded back into the box on her hip.

"That's amazing" Velvet said reverently.

"My brother made it" Dani explained, unclipping the box from her waist and holding it up for the other girl to see. "It responds to aura, and can turn into any weapon."

"Really?"

"Well, almost any weapon" Dani clarified. "Since it's connected to my aura, it can only turn into weapons that I know. Although, technically, it can turn into anything I can imagine within a certain mass. Like armor, or weapons, or, um…" Dani trailed off. She'd never really thought about anything else BB could be used for.

"That's incredible" Velvet said as they walked through the double-doors into Beacon Academy's main hall. They followed the river of students to the assembly. "Your brother must be very talented."

"Oh, he's a genius" Dani agreed. "I mean, I'm alright at making stuff, and my dad was great, but Darius is just something else."

The two girls found a relatively open space in the crowded hall and stood silently as Professor Ozpin began his speech. It was strange. Dani had expected either some long speech about the proud history of the school and the importance of hunters in their world, or a short welcome and a wish for them to do well. Instead, it was just odd, and a little bit discouraging. Dani supposed that with a little rewording, it could almost sound inspirational. As is, it sounded almost like he was disappointed with the students he'd been given this year. Dani couldn't help but think this was her fault for not belonging at the Academy. Another teacher, Ms. Goodwitch, told them where to go for the night, and to be ready for the initiation in the morning.

"That was odd" Velvet said as they made their way to what Ms. Goodwitch had referred to as the barn.

"Guess someone missed his morning coffee" Dani joked, trying to cover up her nervousness. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

* * *

**Let me know what you think, please!**

**-J**


	2. Chapter 2

Dani rolled over, relishing the feeling of the warm blankets wrapped around her. She was surprised that her alarm hadn't woken her up yet. It must have been earlier than it felt. She noticed something poking her hip, but ignored it. She'd probably just fallen asleep with a book again. The poking continued, accompanied by a persistent heat. Dani ignored this, too, until she smelled smoke.

Dani shot upright out of bed, throwing the blankets off as she did. Instead of a stray book, Dani saw the box sitting by her leg, glowing red. She glared at it. It often seemed to have a mind of its own, but she couldn't guess why it would choose to wake her up early.

Dani looked around and realized that she was not in her room at home, but in the barn at Beacon Academy. _That's right_, Dani thought, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. _New home. Gotta remember that. _Light was streaming from one of the large windows, and Dani suddenly got the feeling that something was wrong. It was too bright to be early morning, and there was no one else in the communal bedroom. It was with a dawning sense of dread that she realized what had happened, and why BB had been trying to wake her up.

Dani stood and started hastily digging through her bag for a change of clothes. As she did, Velvet entered the room. "There you are!" she exclaimed. "Initiation starts in ten minutes. You have to hurry."

Dani nodded, pulling on a pair of pants over her pajama shorts and tugging a blue t-shirt on over her tank-top. It wasn't fancy, it didn't even remotely resemble armor, and it wouldn't be great for making first impressions, but it would have to do for now.

"You need to get your weapons and armor from your locker" Velvet pointed out as Dani strode toward the door.

"Nope. Have it right here" Dani said, pulling on her belt with BB attached. Velvet sent her a questioning look. Ms. Goodwitch had been very clear that all weapons and armor were to be kept in lockers overnight. "She doesn't like to be left alone" Dani said sheepishly. Velvet rolled her eyes.

The two girls ran through the school and out to the cliffs. Dani was panting heavily by the time they arrived. She glared jealously at the faunas girl, who barely seemed winded. They were directed to stand on platforms and await instruction. A few minutes later, Professor Ozpin approached the line of students. He told them that today they'd be picking teammates, and Dani silently hoped she'd be teamed with someone nice like Velvet. She figured it'd be okay as long as she wasn't stuck with Cardon or one of his friends, but she thought it would be fun to be teamed with the faunas. Currently, she was Dani's only friend.

Ozpin went on to explain that whoever they saw first in the forest would be their partner. Dani groaned inwardly. _So much for getting any choice whatsoever in who to partner with_. Then Ozpin told them their objective, and they were off.

Dani was one of the first few to launch. She panicked for a second. How was she supposed to land? She felt the box on her hip thrum gently, and put her hand over it. The metal unfolded once again. This time, Dani felt it travel up to her shoulders, where it wrapped around her arms in two thick straps. A third strap wrapped around her waist. The rest gathered on her back before spreading out into a wing-like glider. Dani laughed as she began to glide over the forest. She'd get to the ruins in no time like this.

Just as the ruins came into view in the distance, a shadow passed over Dani. She looked over her shoulder to see a large black bird flying above her. "Nevermore!" she shouted. The creature attempted to grab her with its claws and Dani twisted to the side. "BB, dive!" she commanded. Instantly, the angle of the glider wings changed and she crashed through the upper branches of a tree.

Dani came to a stop on a branch midway down the tree, BB once again folding into the box on her belt. She looked up through the hole she'd made in the leaves. The nevermore was still circling. "Looks like that path's no good" she said. Dani began to climb down the tree. Once she was on the ground, Dani realized she had no idea what direction the ruins lay. She had been so distracted by the nevermore, she hadn't paid attention to where she was going. "Got any idea where we are?" she asked, directing her voice down to the box. She knew it wouldn't be able to answer, but talking to it helped her stay calm.

"I'd say it's about half a mile that way" a boy's voice came from behind her.

Dani spun around to face the speaker, silently willing it to not be someone bad. To her relief, it wasn't Cardon or one of his friends, but a boy she'd never seen before. He had light brown hair and a young, round face that still had some baby fat in it. He wore a white shirt with a vest of golden chainmail over it, and from his belt hung a golden colored sword. His hand was raised, pointing to Dani's left.

"At least, that's what I saw while we were all in the air" he added, lowering his arm. He walked toward Dani and held his hand out in greeting. "I'm Simon" he said.

"Dani" she replied, shaking his hand firmly.

"So, partners?" the boy asked, an amiable smile playing at his lips.

Dani smiled and nodded. She was starting to like this boy. He seemed easy going, and although she hadn't seen anything of his skills yet, she at least knew he had a better sense of direction than her. "Sure, partners."

The boy started walking the way he'd pointed, and Dani followed. He was taller than her, so she had to nearly sprint to keep up. "Slow down" Dani said as she continued to fall behind.

Simon stopped and waited for her to catch up. "Sorry, didn't realize I was going too fast."

"You weren't, really" Dani said as they started walking again, Simon allowing her to lead so she could set the pace. "I'm just slow. My legs aren't long enough to keep up with you."

"Well, you got here pretty quick" Simon points out. "I don't think anyone else is this close to the temple yet."

"I… had a little help" Dani admitted, resting her hand on BB. She looked at the sword on the Simon's belt. Despite its color, she knew it couldn't be real gold, nor could his armor. Gold was too soft to use for weapons. As she stared, Dani noticed strange golden light flowing around the sword's hilt. It looked familiar to her, but she couldn't remember where she'd seen it before.

Just as Dani was about to ask about it, she heard a noise ahead. She and Simon both stopped to listen. A moment later, a spinning ball of tusks and fur charged out of a bush toward them. "Spinney death monster!" Dani screamed, dodging out of the way.

"I think you mean boarbatusk" Simon said, drawing his sword.

"That works too" Dani conceded. She touched the box on her belt and felt the same armor she had worn the previous day spread over her skin. Two more of the creatures walked out of the bushes, surrounding them.

"You take that one" Simon said, pointing to the first creature. "I'll handle these two."

The two fighters stood back to back, a few feet's space between them. Dani pulled a pack of bullets out of her pocket and held it in her hand. The creature facing her paced back and forth, waiting for her to make the first move. Her armored gloves seemed to absorb the bullets, and a moment later two pistols had formed in her hands. Dani fired at the boar-like monster and was disappointed to see the bullet glance off its armored hide.

"Okay, that won't work" she muttered quietly. Dani heard a squeal as Simon killed the first of the two creatures he faced. She glanced over her shoulder for a second, hoping to see how he had managed to harm the armored monster. Her attention was quickly brought back to her own fight as the boarbatusk on her side began spinning toward her again.

"BB, shield!" Dani shouted, ducking. The armor on her left arm morphed into a large round shield that the creature bounced off of. The monster bounced back and rolled onto its side, dazed. "Sword" Dani called. The armor on her right arm changed to form a sword similar to the one Simon wielded, except shorter and balanced perfectly for Dani. She charged forward and, with a shout, drove the blade into the monster's throat.

Dani yanked the sword back out of the creature and spun around to help Simon. He didn't need any help, though. Dani watched as his sword made contact with the boarbatusk's neck. It glowed brightly and sliced through the monster like it was water. He pulled back the sword, which continued to shine until all the creature's blood had burnt off and the blade was once again clean.

Dani stared at the two decapitated monsters, then the boy with the sword. Now that it was no longer hidden by its sheath, she recognized the weapon and remembered where she'd seen it before. "Grimcleaver" Dani breathed, awestruck.

Simon turned and smiled. He held up the golden blade so she could get a better look. "The one and only" he said proudly.

Dani continued to stare, admiring the legendary weapon. "Then you must be a Daybreak" she said, turning her attention back to the huntsman-in-training.

"That's me" he chuckled. "Simon Daybreak."

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Dani asked, finally breaking out of her star-struck trance.

Simon shrugged. "I didn't think it mattered. I mean, we're all just students here, right?"

"I guess" Dani said uncertainly. She still thought it was a big deal. The Daybreaks were rumored to be the first family of hunters, and Grimcleaver the first sword to have ever been infused with dust. She imagined that Darius would probably faint if he saw it up close like this.

Dani watched with some disappointment as Simon re-sheathed the sword. She'd really wanted to get a closer look at it, maybe ask if he knew anything about the techniques used to forge it. Oh well, she decided. They were partners now. She'd probably get the chance again later.

Dani followed Simon as they continued toward their destination. The sword and shield in her hands eventually shrank back into armor, BB apparently deciding that it wasn't safe enough to shut down entirely. Simon watched the transformation, but didn't comment.

"So," Dani said eventually. "What are you doing in Vale?"

"What do you mean?" Simon asked.

"Well, I read that you lived somewhere really far away" Dani explained. "Why would you choose to come to school here?"

"That's kind of the reason, actually" Simon admitted. He sounded embarrassed, much to Dani's surprise. "I mean, my family's famous and everyone expects me to be the next great huntsman. That's a lot to live up to. And on top of that, it's really tough to make friends. People either only want to know me to get closer to my family, or they're too nervous to even talk to me." An edge of annoyance had crept into his voice, and he paused for a moment to let it drain away. "So, I decided to come here. I figured not as many people would know who I am, at least not at first glance. I wanted the opportunity to not be special. You know, just be another student.

"Not to say I won't still try to be the best here" he added with a chuckle.

Dani laughed too. She was still fighting the urge to ask him for an autograph, but she didn't feel nervous anymore. To be honest, she had never really cared about celebrities. The Daybreaks were different, though. They'd saved more lives than she could count. Still, she was more excited about that sword than the guy. People were just people, but weapons were works of art.

* * *

**Let me know what you think!**

**-J**


	3. Chapter 3

Without any more distractions, Dani and Simon reached the ruined temple in no time. A large circle of pedestals sat it he center of the clearing. Upon further inspection, Dani saw that each pedestal held a chess piece. _These must be the relics Ozpin mentioned_, she thought, staring at one of the pieces. She was starting to think that the professor was a very odd man.

"So, we're just supposed to take one?" Simon asked. His hand hovered over a golden bishop.

"That's what the man said."

Simon picked up the piece and tucked it into his belt next to his scabbard. "Looks like we're the first ones here" he remarked.

Dani nodded. All the other pedestals still held their pieces. Only the one Simon had picked was empty. "Come on," she finally said. "No use hanging around."

They began to jog back toward the cliffs, which were visible from the clearing. "Think there's a prize for first place?" Simon asked jokingly.

"Who knows?" Dani said with a smile. "You can always keep your fingers crossed."

Simon eyed the silver metal covering Dani's torso. "Ever gonna explain what's up with that armor?"

Dani glanced sideways at him. "Will you let me study Grimcleaver?"

Simon laughed, a real, full laugh instead of his usual chuckle. "No can do. That's a family secret."

"Well then, I suppose it's only fair that I can't tell you anything about my weapon."

"Oh, come on. Don't be like that" Simon pleaded.

Dani laughed. "I actually can't tell you much. My brother designed it and I'm still not entirely sure how it works." Dani explained what she did know about the box, and how it could transform into whatever it felt was most useful to her in any situation.

"Sounds pretty cool" Simon said earnestly.

"Yeah, it is" Dani agreed.

* * *

Dani and Simon were the first to reach the cliffs. Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch greeted them and sent them to the assembly hall to wait for the other students. Shortly after they arrived, two more students joined them. Neither of the new students spoke, but Dani got the feeling that they were annoyed at each other. At least, the girl seemed annoyed with the boy. She kept glaring at him while he stared at the wall, unconcerned.

_That'll be a rough partnership_, Dani thought. She was suddenly very glad that her own partner was so easygoing. _I hope I'm not on their team._

Next to arrive was Cardon and his team. Dani assumed they'd planned to meet up somewhere so they could work together. She had to admit, it wasn't a bad strategy. It's better to know you'll be with people you know how to work with than to be stuck with someone at random.

After this, students began pouring into the assembly hall, some in pairs and others in large groups. Teachers went around the room checking what chess pieces each pair had retrieved and writing down names. Quickly a rumor spread through the room. Apparently one team had killed a deathstalker and, even more impressively, another team had killed a nevermore.

"So much for coming in first place" Simon whispered to her. Dani stifled a laugh. Their speed would never be as impressive as those kills.

Once all the students' names were recorded, Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch stepped onto the stage. Professor Ozpin explained the scoring method for the test, which did include points for speed, and then said that the teams would be announced in order of least to highest scores. Dani breathed a sigh of relief when she and Simon were not called up first.

She held her breath again, however, when Ozpin stated that the four students called had retrieved the same pieces, and were therefore on a team together. Dani glanced at the silent pair sitting nearby, the girl still glaring at her partner. Clutched in said girl's hand was a golden bishop. Dani then looked at the piece still on Simon's belt. It was a golden bishop. She groaned inwardly. This was going to be a treat.

Dani's team was the fifth from last to be called up, which she was happy with. As far as she cared, fifth out of twenty teams was great. Simon seemed happy with the score as well. The only one called to the stage who seemed upset with this was the girl whose name Dani hadn't learned yet. When they were called, she shot an angry glare at her partner. The boy, however, either didn't notice the look or just didn't care. Dani suspected the latter.

Once they were all four on the stage, Professor Ozpin addressed them. "Simon Daybreak, Milo Shade, Natalia Fallow, Daniel Aero." As he said the names, their pictures appeared on the large screens over the stage. "The four of you retrieved the white bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as team Diamond." The initials DMND appeared under the pictures on the screen. "Lead by Simon Daybreak." Underneath the clapping, Dani could hear a layer of whispers spread through the room. Apparently she wasn't the only one to recognize the name.

Dani quickly congratulated Simon on his position as team leader before they walked down the stairs. Milo, the other boy on their team, shook Simon's hand silently. Natalia did the same, adding the sentiment that he would be a fine leader.

The four members of the newly formed team diamond took their seats once again. The four remaining teams were called to stage in quick succession. In fourth place was a team of people Dani mostly didn't recognize, except for Velvet. The faunas girl looked very different in her fighting clothes, like she was built for quick movement and precise strikes. Next to be called was a team of tough looking boys. Dani scowled when she recognized Cardon as one of them, and the scowl only deepened when he was announced as leader of his own team.

The final two teams were accompanied to the stage by waves of whispers. These were the two who had fought so impressively in the forest. The first was named team Juniper, lead by a skinny blonde boy named Jaun Arc. The final, highest scoring team was named team Ruby. They were appointed a young girl even shorter than Dani as their leader. Dani wondered briefly how a girl that young had made it into the school. Still, if the rumors of her beheading a nevermore were true, then she guessed there was really no question. Anyone with that kind of skill could certainly handle this.

Professor Ozpin ended the ceremony by stating that he thought this would be an interesting year. Dani had to agree with the sentiment. She felt like she was starting a new life, and the possibilities were endless. Despite her earlier worry that she didn't belong in the academy, she was excited. Who knew what could happen next?

* * *

**Fun fact: When I first wrote this a few months ago, they hadn't started the RWBY production diaries, so I had no clue what Velvet's battle gear would look like or what her team was like. Originally, I had described her team as being all girls, looking fairy-like, and all being major dust users. I had to edit that part later on in order to make it fit with cannon.**

**Second 'fun' fact: this chapter has been updated because I accidentally wrote the wrong last name for two of the characters. I am thoroughly embarrassed. Sorry about that. Anyway, it's fixed now. The official names for team DMND are Simon Daybreak, Milo Shade, Natalia Fallow, and Daniel Aero.**


	4. Chapter 4

Team Diamond, by order of their leader, spent the rest of the evening unpacking and getting to know each other. Despite her obvious distaste for her partner, Natalia warmed up to Simon instantly, although she seemed to still have some misgivings about Dani, and asked to be called Talia. Milo, while on the quiet side, was very polite, with a dose of wisdom underlying everything he said. Dani got the feeling that if she could peel back that shell of mystery she'd find a good friend underneath.

"Okay" Simon said once all bags were unpacked. "We're gonna be working and living together for the next four years, if all goes according to plan, so we should probably start to learn a bit about each other. I was thinking we could start with why we all chose to come to Beacon; you know, establish a common ground. Uh, Talia, how about you start?"

Talia looked up from her bed in the corner and cleared her throat. "Well, it's been a tradition in my family for a few generations that the oldest, once they're of age, would become a hunter. Beacon is close to home, as well as one of the most prestigious fighting schools in Remnant, so it was the obvious choice." As she spoke, her voice kept spiking into a higher pitch, as though she was trying to keep it round and steady.

"Okay" Simon said, nodding. "I'm kind of from the same situation. It's always been a given that I'd become a hunter. Beacon seemed far enough away that I could escape some of my family's expectations."

"You don't want to be a huntsman?" Milo asked. His voice was deep and incredibly clear. Dani imagined that it would be terrifying coming from a dark corner or alleyway.

"I didn't say that" Simon said. "It's just difficult when everyone expects something from you. I want to be a huntsman, but I don't want to be just one more in a long family line." Milo nodded as though he understood. "What about you?" Simon asked. "Why are you here?"

Milo seemed to grow nervous at the question. Dani knew from a few past attempts that he was very secretive, especially about his past. He hadn't even told her where he came from. She knew he was a few years older than most of the students at the academy, but that was it.

"It came to my attention that I needed further training in order to pursue certain career paths" Milo cryptically answered. "Beacon is a world renowned school, so it seemed like the best option."

Dani wanted to ask for more details, but she had a feeling that it wouldn't help. If Milo had something to hide, it wasn't really any of her business, so long as it didn't cause problems for their team.

"Dani, how about you?" Simon asked after a pause.

"Oh, um" Dani started nervously. She didn't know where to really start or how much she should say. It was kind of a long story. "There's a tournament in Vale every New Year, and I won a scholarship there."

"Why'd you enter the tournament?" Talia asked. "Why do you want to become a huntress?"

"Well, I guess that started a few years ago" Dani began. "I never really wanted to be a huntress, actually. My brother Darius did, I mean, he wanted to be a huntsman, but not me. I know most kids do, growing up, but it was never my dream. My dad was a smith. He and my mom ran a shop on the outskirts of Vale. All I ever wanted was to work with them and my brother.

"Anyway, a few years ago our shop got robbed. Some psychos in masks wanted whatever weapons they could get, as well as the dust and other supplies we used to make them." Dani stared at the wall as she spoke, eyes unfocused. "Dad refused. He didn't want the weapons he designed to protect people to be used by criminals. Darius felt the same way. They tried to fight back, but were outnumbered. Mom and Dad were killed, and Darius' legs were hurt. He couldn't walk after that."

Dani looked back at Simon. She'd long since gotten over what had happened, but the sympathy in her partner's eyes nearly broke her resolve. She took a deep breath before continuing. "I initially entered the tournament to show off the weapons Darius made. I didn't expect to win but, well, BB was too good." She smiled humbly and gestured to the box sitting on her bed.

"I'm sorry that happened" Simon said after a moment of awkward silence.

Dani waved her hand dismissively. "It was a long time ago."

"That still doesn't explain why you chose to come here" Milo said after a moment. "You could have passed the scholarship on to whoever won second place."

Dani shrugged. "Darius was so excited when I won. He always wanted to be a huntsman. He can't now, not with his legs, but I can. He wants his weapons to be used to protect people, so I'm going to do my best to make that happen.

"Our parents believed in helping people. They've always taught us to do whatever we can to protect anyone we're able to. We promised to follow that teaching; one of us would make weapons and the other would use them to fight. Dari can't fight anymore, so now it's my job."

The four sat in silence for a moment, each contemplating the new life ahead of them. They would be with the people around them for the next four years. They would live together, work together, train together, and fight together. For better or for worse, these were the people they'd need to rely on.

"Well" Simon said, clapping his hands together suddenly, "I guess it's time to turn in. We have a full day of classes tomorrow and we need our rest."

* * *

**Sorry for the long wait and the extremely short chapter. This story is kind of playing second or third fiddle to some others I'm working on, so it gets the least of my attention. Still, here it is, finally. So, tell me what you think!**


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